SpaceCamp – An overlooked CLASSIC of the 80’s!

Possibly hard to believe if you have seen my website and/or met me at a show, but yes – I am married… Why is this hard to imagine you may ask??? The stereotype for guys like me; nerds grown up, now in their 40’s who still cling to their original Chuck Norris action figures is that we were never cool enough to have sex, more or less convince someone of the opposite sex to marry us.

I guess each of us gets to live out a little taste of the dream promised us in Revenge of the Nerds if we work hard enough at it!

Last night, while watching SpaceCamp for the millionth time, it occurred to me that my writing rarely touches on many of the things truly important to me. Of course all of the work that I do on Star Wars is what I’m into, but what about the other 99.8 percent of my life that is not devoted to The Star Wars? Hamill, Fisher and Ford most certainly have a piece of my heart, as any true fan must admit, but what other 80’s films/books changed our lives??? Luke Skywalker can’t be the end all, be all you know.

The #1 runner-up for me would have to be SpaceCamp! A tremendous soundtrack that includes the likes of Eric Clapton and a far out 80’s reach for the stars plot! What could be better? I remember watching the film as a kid and being inspired in a way that was unexplainable at the time. Maybe it is still unexplainable… A bunch of kids get to leave home for a few glorious weeks while on holiday. The kids eat what they want, do what they want and get caught sneaking out with girls at lights out. What could be better right? Good, clean, American fun in the age of “Bring down this wall” and Reagan Country.

As we all know, Tom Skerritt has to blast the group of kids into orbit in order to save their lives. Summer vacation turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Summer vacation turns into love, loss, adventure and an entry into the land where dreams come true. Like the cornfields of Iowa, this film left me with a sense of wonder beyond compare. Sounds corny I know, but these kids were The Right Stuff for my generation! Tate Donovan, Leaf Phoenix, Kelly Preston and the gang may as well have been named Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins for all of us who truly experienced SpaceCamp in the 80’s! Needless to say… I collect and sell SpaceCamp memorabilia on the site…